Despite the frost damage we witnessed on March 20 statewide and in some locations on April 8-9, you might be astonished by the quantity of fruits that still need chemical or hand thinning to attain the targeted size and quality. That being said, it is crucial to assess the extent of frost damage in your various blocks and varieties before deciding whether thinning treatments are necessary this season. To learn about the materials used for apple fruit thinning and the stages at which these chemicals are applied, please refer to my previous blog article. The present blog post aims to share the results of the apple carbohydrate thinning model and provide recommendations on timing, rates, and other considerations for orchards in Central Virginia and the Winchester/Frederick County area.

For Central Virginia, I ran the model today (April 16 at 12:00 pm) using the green tip and full bloom dates for Gala as March 6 and March 29, respectively. You should take into account your own dates and varieties when running the model. However, I believe these two dates are suitable for most apple varieties and orchards in Central Virginia. According to this data, we have already reached an accumulated growing degree day (base temperature = 4C) of 209, which falls within the optimal range (200-250) for thinning applications. This range often coincides with a fruit size of 6-15 mm, traditionally considered the most favorable period for fruit thinning. In terms of carbohydrate status, the daily carbohydrate level is predicted to experience a surplus for the next two days (April 17-18), but the 6-day weighted average will reach -15 g/day tomorrow. Trees generally respond more effectively to thinning materials when the 6-day weighted average values range from -10 to -40 g/day. Furthermore, the current forecast indicates temperatures between 65 to 85F this week (Monday to Friday), which is ideal for NAA and 6-BA uptake and effectiveness.

Considering all these factors, I strongly recommend applying your main fruit thinning application within the next four days. If you can complete all thinning applications within two days, opt for Wednesday and Thursday, as temperatures are expected to be around 80F. For tomorrow’s treatment, a standard rate of thinning materials is advised. For example, if you typically apply 64 fl oz of 6-BA (e.g., Maxcel or Exilis plus), 1 qt of Sevin or Carbaryl, and 1 pt of Regulaid per 100 gal/acre as the standard rate, use the same rate tomorrow. For applications on Wednesday and Thursday, more carbohydrate deficiency is expected which may lead to a recommended 15% reduction in your standard rate. However, this cannot be confirmed yet, as it is based on the 6-day average (2 days before thinning and the following four days). Nevertheless, with a projected carbohydrate surplus on Monday and Tuesday and a deficit in the subsequent three days, I believe a standard rate should be used for Wed and Thu applications.

For orchards in the Winchester/Frederick County area, I ran the model for Gala with green tip and bloom dates of March 7 and April 12, respectively. As the model outputs below indicate, the optimal thinning window has not yet arrived. The accumulated DD is below the recommended 200 value, and our average fruit size is still under 5 mm. Therefore, I anticipate that our main thinning window will be around Monday-Tuesday next week (April 24-25), but I will keep you updated if conditions change.

Our collaborating apple growers in Central Virginia informed me that fruit sizes for most apple cultivars are now between 6-12 mm; the prime window for fruit thinning applications. I, therefore, ran the apple carbohydrate thinning model this morning to determine the optimal application timing based on the carbohydrate status, growing degree days, and thinning efficacy. As you will see below, we have already approached accumulated degree days of 235 (base temp= 4C), which is within the optimal range (200-250) for thinning applications. This range often coincides with fruit size 6-15 mm, which has always been considered the sweetest spot for fruit thinning. As for the carbohydrate status, the daily carbohydrate level is predicted to be in the deficit status for the next three days (May 2-4), and the 7-days weighted average will be at -2.49 g/day for tomorrow.

As you know, trees respond better to thinning materials when the 7-day weighted average values are in the range of -10 to -40 g/day, which is unlikely to be achieved in the following three days and therefore, the model predicts a mild response to thinning materials, and suggests increasing thinning rates by 30%. So, if you decide to apply thinning sprays tomorrow and if you usually use per acre rates of (64 fl oz of Maxcel and 1 qt of Carbaryl, and 1 pt of Regulaid/100 gal) for thinning your Gala trees, you should use (83 fl oz of Maxcel and 1.3 qt of Carbaryl and 1 pt of Regulaid/100 gal/acre) to compensate for the mild thinning action. As you may have noticed, the rate of the non-ionic surfactant remains the same per 100 gal.

My recommendations: after considering the fruit size, the carbohydrate level, and the predicted thinning action, I would seriously consider applying thinning sprays in the following three days (May 2-4); and with the forested thunderstorms on Tuesday and Wednesday, I would surely consider finishing a major portion of thinning applications tomorrow (Monday, 5/2). The temperatures in the following three days are around 80 F, perfect for NAA and 6-BA uptake and effectiveness. Also, the cloudy days on May 5-7 might reduce the carbohydrate level, at least partially, allowing for better thinning. If the current forecast is accurate, the second potential thinning window will be on Monday and Tuesday next week (May 9-10). I would use this window for cultivars currently at 6-8mm fruit diameter.

The Cornell Apple Carbohydrate Thinning Model (May 1, 2022).

Important remarks regarding the Cornell apple carbohydrate thinning model:

• The model interface on NEWA (https://newa.cornell.edu/apple-carbohydrate-thinning) is slightly different this year, but the model inputs and outputs are the same.
• The model collects data for temp and solar radiation from the weather station to calculate the tree’s carbohydrate daily balance and 7-day average (2 days before, the day of thinning and the 4 days after ).
• For orchards in Central Virginia, I usually use the weather station in Tyro (Silver Creek), but I could not see this station listed on NEWA this morning, probably for a technical reason, and therefore I used the Crozet (Chiles peach orchard) instead. It would help if you used the nearest station to your location.
• The model requires inputs for the green tip and full bloom dates. For the model I ran today, I used a green tip date of March 15 and a full bloom date of April 10 for Gala apples. If your dates are different, the outputs and recommendations will be different.

After all the frost events and subfreezing temperatures in the past four weeks, we (the state of Virginia) still have a medium-heavy apple crop, and we should start planning for the fruit thinning treatments. However, given the geographical distribution of apple orchards throughout the state, which results in different developmental stages, growing degree days, elevation, etc., thinning recommendations would vary from one location to another. So, this post aims to give a general overview of thinning materials, rates, and application timing as well as a few suggestions to consider when thinning certain cultivars or using specific materials. But I will follow this with other blog posts focusing on particular locations as required.

Table 1: Common chemical thinners, tradenames, and manufacturers.

• Notes
• Exilis 9.5 SC contains 9.51% of 6-BA, compared to 1.9% in Maxcel and 2% in Exilis Plus.
• There are two forms of Refine; Refine 3.5 and Refine 6.25. The later contains a higher concentration of NAA.

Table 2: Effective thinning sprays at petal fall to 5 mm fruit diameter

Table 3. Thinning materials and rates for 6-18 mm fruit diameter

• Do not use NAD and NAA with Red Delicious or Fuji, as this will result in pygmy fruits. 
• To achieve better results with NAD, use it in 100 gallons or more per acre.
• Carbaryl can be used alone for fruit thinning between petal fall and 15 mm fruit diameter. However, it is better to combine it with either NAA or 6-BA for thinning fruits at 7-15 mm. 
• Carbaryl is not rate-responsive when used alone, so increasing the rates of carbaryl will not necessarily improve thinning efficiency.
• 6-BA enhances cell division and fruit size compared to other fruit thinners. Therefore, it is recommended to use it when thinning small-fruited cultivars such as Gala and Ginger Gold. 
• Temperatures between 75 – 85 oF are ideal for 6-BA uptake and effectiveness. 6-BA is not effective when temperatures are below 68°F.
• NAA can reduce the overall fruit size of the harvested crop compared to other chemicals used in fruit thinning.
• NAA applications for fruit thinning can also enhance return bloom in biennial bearing cultivars, such as Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious. Research from my lab at Virginia Tech showed that NAA applications within the first 30 days of bloom are critical for flower bud formation and return bloom. NAA applications at 40 and 50 days of bloom have minimal effect on return bloom in Honeycrisp. 
• Adding a non-ionic surfactant (e.g. Regulaid @ 1pt/100 gal) to 6-BA and NAA spray mixtures improves thinning efficiency. 
• We use the Cornell Apple carbohydrate thinning model on the NEWA website (https://newa.cornell.edu/apple-carbohydrate-thinning) to determine the optimal timing for thinning treatments. The model collects temperature and solar radiation data from the nearest weather station to your location to predict the carbohydrate status of the tree. Under the carbohydrate deficit status, trees become more responsive to thinning treatments; and the opposite is true under the carbohydrate surplus conditions. 
• Sunny, cool days and cold nights promote carbohydrate accumulation, resulting in low thinning efficiency; whereas cloudy, hot days, and warm nights lead to carbohydrate deficiency, which is good for fruit thinning.
• The upper parts of the canopy are harder to thin than the lower parts.
• If you have a heavy crop, thinning will be easier than having a light crop.
• Vigorous trees are harder to thin compared to compact and dwarf trees. 

Table 4: Effective thinning treatments at 16 mm-25 mm fruit diameter.

• Ethephon should be applied as a “rescue thinning” treatment if first thinning sprays were insufficient. It is most commonly used when fruit size is between 18 and 26 mm.
• When aggressive thinning is needed, mix carbaryl or NAA with ethephon.
• Ethephon can result in severe over-thinning, particularly at high temperatures (> 90 ^oF).
• Accede, a new thinning product from Valent USA, can also be used at this stage. For more information about Accede, read our blog post: https://blogs.ext.vt.edu/tree-fruit-horticulture/?s=Accede

Table 5: Easy, moderate, and hard to thin apple cultivars.

Disclaimer

Application rates mentioned in this article are based upon a concentrate spray volume of 100 gallons per acre and product labels at the time of publication. When applying chemical thinners use the rates indicated on the labels of the products that you are using. The degree of thinning action are listed according to the author’s personal field experiences. The degree of thinning action may vary from orchard to orchard and block to block.

For more information regarding apple fruit thinning, you can read our extension pub “Crop Load Management in Commercial Apple Orchards: Chemical Fruit Thinning” at https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/SPES/SPES-134P/SPES-134P.html.